Wyatt Technology, the world leader in absolute macromolecular characterization instrumentation and software, displayed its miniDAWN™ TREOS® Multi-Angle Light Scattering (MALS) Detector, at Pittcon 2013, Philadelphia, PA. The TREOS represents a major advancement in the sensitivity and dynamic range in the MALS measurement of molar mass and size for smaller macromolecules. Whether in-line with chromatographic separation for analysis of distributions, or in stop-flow mode for characterizing interactions, the latest model provides over twice the signal to noise ratio and 100x the dynamic range of the previous generation of Wyatt’s miniDAWN instruments, allowing the measurement of low-molecular weight proteins, peptides or carbohydrates at lower concentrations than ever before.

Each analog signal (one for each of the three angles) is processed by its own Digital Signal Processing (DSP) integrated circuit with 24-bit digital conversion for extremely high signal resolution. In addition, four auxiliary analog inputs (with their own DSP circuits) are available for interfacing to external detectors, such as DRI, UV, PDA, etc. The TREOS also records the temperature, laser power, and forward monitor signal – a valuable “extra” for studying samples that absorb light.

Optional features may be added such as the embedded COMET™ system, which automatically cleans the flow cell in situ. Just press a button, or schedule cleaning as part of an ASTRA® sample set. This insures that your system produces the same high quality data day after day, with NO downtime. The embedded WyattQELS™ allows simultaneous online measurement of hydrodynamic radius. This improves the resolution of the size distribution measurements by over an order of magnitude compared to batch QELS.

The miniDAWN TREOS can work seamlessly with all other Wyatt instruments, such as the ViscoStar® differential bridge viscometer, via the network or USB interfaces. It has the capability of taking signals from a variety of third party instruments, such as UV absorption, DRI, IR absorption, evaporative light scattering or photodiode array detectors.

The team at Wyatt Technology, the inventors of the world’s first MALS instruments, has several hundred cumulative years of experience in the development and manufacturing of light scattering equipment. The miniDAWN TREOS represents the culmination of this light scattering design experience, providing absolute measurements for results of the highest accuracy for use in the biotechnology, chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.